Reflecting is defined as thinking deeply or carefully about something. How reflective are you? How often do you find yourself reflecting?
Are you one of those women that reflect on her life at specific times of the year, like September and January? I reflect on the past eight months in September and decide what needs to happen over the coming 5 to call the year a success. And I know business owners that reflect in January on the past 12 months. I also reflect daily on yesterday. Did I get enough done? Did I do that one thing to move the needle forward?
Being Reflective Allows Us To Grow
I believe that being reflective about our lives and our business is essential. Being reflective allows us to grow, change and become better versions of ourselves. We can see the aspects of ourselves that move us forward and those that might be holding us back, keeping us stuck, or creating fear.
Without taking time to reflect, we miss opportunities to shape our lives, our businesses, and to grow.
Reflect On Your Brand
We can say the same about our brands. Of course, it is your brand that I want you to reflect upon here because my passion and focus are on women in business, maintaining or creating their brands.
As business owners, we understand the need to reflect on sales, products, our service, our clients, and especially the bottom line. Although, neglecting our brand can harm the bottom line, the customer experience, and how our brand is perceived. When the brand is not looked after and monitored for consistency, congruency, and authenticity, we can confuse our prospects or not attract and engage our ideal clients.
Thinking about your brand is not a one-and-done part of your business start-up. Reflecting on your brand is a necessary part of your ongoing business performance.
A brand is more than a logo and website. We must constantly be shaping and molding the client’s perception of the brand with a very particular and consistent experience with the brand.
So, let’s reflect on your brand experience, presence, and perception. And remember, your brand is not just your logo, pretty colors, and fonts.
Your brand is your promise to your clients.
What have you promised your clients, and are you delivering on that promise?
Your brand is what people think, feel and say about your business. So you must be intentional in what you do to influence how people perceive you and the company.
Your audience interprets your brand based on information gathered through messaging, design, online reviews, advertising, first-hand experiences with your brand, and word-of-mouth reputation. You’ll want to reflect on all aspects of the brand experience, from social media posts, and website content, to customer service and delivery.
Is every element consistent and authentic? Does your content speak to your ideal client? Are you expressing the brand’s personality and speaking with a single brand voice?
What about your website? Is your message speaking to today’s client, or is it speaking to the ideal client persona you created when you first started the business? Are these two clients the same? If today’s client is not the same as you initially anticipated, that’s okay; your business has grown and evolved and may be more specialized.
Often our business starts out one way, and we find that our specialty has changed over time. Our true calling reveals itself, and we’re working with a niche clientele that is not who we started out working with.
Do your visual brand elements attract and engage the niche clientele you are working with these days? Maybe the name of your business no longer reflects the specialized work you’re doing today.
It’s essential to regularly reflect on your brand and every aspect of it to ensure everything is working together and you’re delivering precisely what your clients expect.
I’d be honored to reflect with you. Get in touch and schedule a free call. There will be no pitching or selling, just me listening and guiding you. Together we will reflect on your current brand and determine what, if anything, needs your attention.